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Milly Snow
Milly Snow '''(full name Malery Snow) was the natural born daughter of Arrana Stark, only daughter and youngest child of Lord Edric Stark and Lady Serena Mormont (Arrana’s older sister Aragelle had died at child birth). Milly grew up without knowing who her father was. Rumour has it that she was the seed of a rape her mother suffered from the hands of a Bolton at the Tourney of Riverrun, hence the moniker Little Lady Dreadfort. Spending half of her childhood on Bear Island, where men and women were trained at arms to fend for themselves, the idea of a girl wielding a weapon was natural to Milly. She later would be the wielder of the Valyrian sword the Griever. It was given to her by Prince Baelor Targaryen. After her mother died, Milly was sent to Winterfell under the protection of her lord grandfather. It was there that she met and fell in love with the boy called Bael the Bookworm. Milly played a major role in the founding of the Golden Company. She was a fearsome swordswoman and rose through the ranks to captain. She was posthumously known as “The Sword of Sorrow”. '''BIOGRAPHY Part I: The Winter Orphan BIRTH One blustery night, at an inn at the crossroads, the rain was pouring nonstop, the gusty wind was banging on the inn’s sign. A child’s cry tore through the noise of the clanking sign and the raindrops on the rooftop like a small thunder. Lady Arrana Stark received the wailing babe from the maester. The babe had black hair and on her right palm, she had a red birthmark that made it look like she was holding a ball of fire. The babe was a tiny little thing in Arrana’s arms, since she was born prematurely. But the cry howling from her chest told Arrana she would be good and healthy. With beads of sweat staining on her head from the hard labour, she looked down on her babe and smiled. A shadow lingered at the door for a moment and then disappeared. Days later, Lord Edric Stark arrived. He asked Arrana where the babe’s father was and received no reply. Arrana gave the babe to Lord Edric to hold, telling him the girl had blue eyes just like her lord grandfather. Lord Edric took the babe, looked down her face, and decided to give her away to a villager. Arrana cried and begged. Finally, he relented and sent mother and babe to Bear Island, the seat of Lady Serena’s nephew. BEAR ISLAND At Bear Island, little Milly was not loved by her uncle, Lord Orran Mormont. But to her, for 8 years, Bear Island with her mother in it was her home. She always cherished the quiet and happy childhood she had there. Then one day, Lady Arrana died of a swift and violent sickness. Before she died, she was able to send a raven to her lord father, asking him to take care of little Milly, and to tell her who father was when she came of age. So at the age of 8, in 198, Milly travelled to Winterfell with her mother’s coffin to be buried down in the crypt. There at Winterfell, she met her lord grandfather and the little prince for the first time. WINTERFELL When the Blackfyre Rebellion broke out in 196 AC, Prince Valarr Targaryen, heir to the Iron Throne, was 7. Both his father and grandfather were leading the Targaryen army. The master of whisperers, Lord Brynden Rivers, advised that the boy was sent to Winterfell to be fostered. He could be safely tucked away, and the Targaryen side could gain support from the North. It was also promised that Valarr would be betrothed to one of Lord Edric’s issues when he came of age. But before that, no one was to know who he was. So to everyone in Winterfell, save for Lord Edric and his maester, Valarr was Bael Stark, the lost son of Lady Aragelle. At Bear Island, people sometimes called Milly “Little Lady Dreadfort”, since it was rumoured that she was the seed of a rape her mother suffered from the hands of a Bolton. Sometimes Milly wondered if that was the reason her uncle did not love her, as he had no love for the Boltons either. But since the day Lord Edric received the angry and sullen child at his halls, he’d never allowed that name to be uttered. He saw Arrana’s wild spirit in Milly, and raised her as any legitimate child. One day, in the training yard, Milly swung a wooden sword at her cousin’s head. Ronnel Stark had said that she was small for an 8 year-old. She replied that one day she would be as tall as the Wall. Ronnel said Robyn Bolton had not been tall. The bleeding bigger boy was about to charge at Milly when Bael intervened. At first, Bael thought Milly was a hot-headed and insolent child. Milly was equal parts annoyed and intrigued by the mellow silver-tongued boy and oft times pulled pranks on him. Later, Bael, Milly and Ronnel were an inseparable trio. Milly and Ronnel dreamed of knights and valour, while Bael was more into books. They trained together under the instruction of the master-at-arms Ser Robbard Locke. Milly wondered why Bael sometimes had study sessions with maester Dyron alone. But at times Milly and Ronnel, mostly Milly, would haul him away to adventures and mischiefs. Milly and Bael shared a special bond as children who both lost their mothers at a young age (Bael’s real mother had also died). When Milly was 13, the boy she knew as Bael the Bookworm told her his true name was Valarr of House Targaryen, and that he loved her. When she was 14, one day, she overheard her grandfather and master Dyron discussing the betrothal of Prince Valarr. The reality of Milly’s bastard nature and Valarr’s lineage hit her, and Milly ran away to the woods. Valarr ran after her. Both ended up being stranded in an avalanche. Thinking that they would die of freeze, they said the words with the old gods as their witness, and consummated their vows. Eventually, Lord Edric found his granddaughter and the prince, nearly frozen to death and in a questionable state. When they came back to Winterfell, he separated the two. That was the first time Milly saw her grandfather angry at her. He took Milly with him to a trip to The Three Sisters to marry one of his grandsons to a Sunderland, while at the same time sent for Valarr’s sire to take him back to King’s Landing. No communication was allowed between Milly and Valarr. But when she received a letter from Ronnel, she was furious at her grandfather. She travelled on a different ship when they came back from Sweetsister. A violent storm came. Milly survived but her grandfather did not. Lord Edric never forgave Milly’s father. On his last wish, he hoped Milly would never have to see the bastard. KING’S LANDING After Lord Edric’s funeral, Milly had to part with another of her loved ones as Ronnel set out for the Wall to join the Night’s Watch. Convinced that there was nothing left for her in the North, Milly, along with Ser Robbard, followed Valarr to King's Landing. She went under the name Mara, daughter of Ser Robbard Locke. Milly was not prepared to encounter the Targaryen clan and he court at King’s Landing. The high-born ladies at court thought she was too untamed and too northern. Lord Brynden Rivers, the Bloodraven, made her cold in the spine. She was uncomfortable with Prince Maekar Targaryen’s icy stare and she certainly would also want to see what would happen if his first son drank fire. But she was more at ease in the presence of Good King Daeron and Prince Baelor. The only friend she managed to make at court was 5 year-old Egg. Prince Baelor grew a fond curiosity for the northern girl that accompanied his son to King’s Landing. He did not know how, but he felt her face was familiar. He inquired his son about the girl. Valarr decided to tell him the girl’s real name and even revealed his intentions. Prince Baelor was shocked that not only had he son fallen in love with a bastard girl, but he would even think to ask King Daeron to legitimize the girl. Valarr told his father that he and Milly had already said the words, and he already considered her his wife. The only resolve now, he said with a finalised sense, would be to renounce his titles. Prince Baelor looked at his son like he had lost his mind. He wondered what happened to his level-headed son at Winterfell. He dismissed the union, stating that the vows were said in the way of the Old Gods, not in front of the Seven, with no witnesses. And renouncing titles was out of the question. Afterwards, Prince Baelor summoned the Small council and asked to choose a bride for his son. Brynden Rivers stayed behind and told him the story of the Tourney of Riverrun. Arrana Stark, youngest daughter of Lord Edric Stark, had joined Lord Medgar Tully’s hunting company. Then she got lost in the woods. People searched for her, but only found Robyn Bolton’s corpse, half naked, with his throat slit open. Not many people noticed that Aegor Rivers, who had been present at the tourney, was also missing. The Bloodraven believed a bastard was born from that incident. He said the maester at Stone Hedge knew the truth. Prince Baelor immediately sent for the maester, and eventually learned the truth of the girl with the red birthmark on her right palm. Meanwhile, Valarr upon hearing rumours of a search for the young prince’s future bride, hurriedly seeked for Milly. Instead of having his worries eased by Milly, they had a big fight. She said he was not bound by the words they said in the woods, and that hurt the prince. Three months after Prince Valarr came back to King’s Landing, King Daeron held a tourney to celebrate the end of a harsh winter, to herald the return of his grandson and heir, and to officially crowne him a prince. Milly joined the tourney as a mystery knight. She had decided to leave King’s Landing, but lacked the funds for it. She thought she could win some money at the tourney. However, she suffered a great injury when the opposing knight aimed for her horse. Days later, she woke up to see Egg sleeping at her feet, and Valarr at his usual quite self. Unbeknownst to Milly, Valarr had arranged for a ship to take him and Milly to Braavos before the crowning ceremony. But all hell broke loose when the mystery knight fell and the helm revealed an unconscious Milly. A few days later, Milly was surprised to see Prince Baelor pay her a visit. Although Prince Baelor had made sure that the maester stayed silent, he himself told Milly of her true forebear. Milly, although still shocked and skeptical of Prince Baelor’s claims, could not help but recall the words cried at her by a witch she met in the godswood outside of The Red Keep. She said Milly’s blood tasted like ice and fire, but taste was wrong on her tongue. She saw in the future two flocks of dragons dancing. A red dragon would bring light to end the long night, while the black dragons would fall to their doom. She cried that Milly stank of death and sorrow, and wanted her gone. Milly wondered if the part about ice and fire truly meant her father was Aegor Rivers, the Bittersteel. She was perplexed about the second part. At first she thought the witch was talking about the Blackfyre Rebellion. But she said it was in the future. And what did she mean by “light to end the long night”? Somehow she thought the answer lay in finding Aegor Rivers. Prince Baelor had suggested as such when he broke Milly out of her trance. He told her to sail for Essos. He gave her the funds for her journey, and gifted her with a Valyrian steel sword. Milly named it Griever. The day Milly left King’s Landing, she left Valarr a letter, explaining that her place was not beside him on the Iron Throne. Valarr led a frantic search for her at Blackwater Bay, believing that she had set out for Essos. She once told him that she wanted to be a ranger at the Wall, or a hedge knight wondering Westeros, but since she was a girl, she might as well be a sellsword at the Free Cities. Meanwhile, Milly and Ser Robbard were on their way to Crackclaw Point. On the way, she heard whispers of a second rebellion. Milly and Ser Robbard were attacked by robbers, but luckily they survived. However, Ser Robbard’s shoulder injury festered and he died a few days later. Milly, now on her own and having spent a large sum on healing Ser Robbard, decided to stay in House Boggs as a maid and awaited her father. In 205, Valarr Targaryen was crowned as prince and heir to the Iron Throne, after his father Prince Baelor, in King’s Landing. early one year later, the girl who married him and one day to be queen of the Seven Kingdoms was Kiera of Tyrosh. Part II: Daughter of Doom THE SECOND BLACKFYRE REBELLION In 206, 10 years after the First Blackfyre Rebellion, Bittersteel crowned Daemon II Blackfyre and came back to finish what Daemon I had started. After the Battle of Hagen Hills, Milly found Valarr morbidly wounded. She nursed him back to consciousness. Valarr revealed that it was Bittersteel that delivered the nearly fatal blow. The Blackfyre army later caught Milly and Valarr and they were brought to the king and his general. She revealed her identity to Bittersteel. Her father said that would not help the prince as he meant to execute Valarr. Milly begged her father to put him in a cell instead, arguing that a live prince was more valuable than a dead one. She prayed that the message she sent little Egg’s father had arrived at his hands. Prince Maekar’s army descended upon Bittersteel’s camp. They captured Daemon, Bittersteel and Milly. A council was held to decide their fates. It was decided that Daemon would spend the rest of his life in gaol in order to prevent his brother Haegon from taking his claims and raising banners. When it came to Bittersteel, Prince Maekar urged his brother to put him and that bastard girl of his to the sword. Prince Baelor instead decided to send Bittersteel to the Wall. As for Milly, she would live in exile at Bear Island. She asked to accompany her father on his way to the Wall, and the prince granted her wish. Milly said her goodbye to Valarr for the last time. Milly was supposed to part with her father at Eastwatch-by-the-sea. But her father’s men got to them before the black brothers. Aegor asked his daughter to come with him to Essos. ESSOS Bittersteel founded the Golden Company and Milly joined the exiled sworn brothers. In 208, a conflict in Volantis broke out between the elephants and the tigers. Milly travelled there with The Golden Company under contract with the elephants. As Milly arrived at Volantis, she came upon the city's magnificent Red Temple. She heard the red priests’ preaching of the bringer of light and finally understood the second part of the witch’s prophecy. With the help of the company, the elephants emerged victorious. However, as the battle came to an end, Milly slew one of the leaders of the elephants, Garronar the Maneater. She was chastised by her father for her recklessness, the elephants banished The Golden Company from the city, but the people of Volantis quietly thanked her. As Aegor was berating his daughter, Milly wondered if the scowl on her father’s face was sculptured. But she bet it changed when Shiera Seastar was around. Four months later, when magister Harlio Sanin was assassinated by the Volantenes, Myr and Tyrosh joined forces to wage war with Volantis. The Golden Company came to the service of Myr. As captain Garlan Flowers was speared down, Milly led the van in his stead on the assault on the Volantenes. Afterwards, she was named captain. Aegor planned to marry Milly to Haegon Blackfyre, the third son of Daemon I Blackfyre. He imposed the matter on her multiple times. In a fit of anger, Milly told her father that his cause was doomed. She told him Azor Ahai, the bringer of light, would be born from Daeron’s line, not Daemon’s. Aegor dismissed it as pagan lies. In 209, Valarr died in the Great Spring Sickness. Two months later, in Myr, Milly threw herself off a cliff. MENTIONS BY OTHER CHARACTERS Aegon: "Do you remember my cousin Valarr?" Ser Duncan: "Yes, we encountered briefly at Ashford." Dunk suddenly became lightheaded as he recalled the dream that sometimes still haunted his sleeps, the dream where the ghost of Valarr Targaryen blamed Dunk for the death of his father. Aegon: "I admired him. Before we met, I wanted to squire for him." Dunk had no idea where the king was heading. He waited for the king to give him some clues. Aegon: "He, my cousin, was in love with Milly Snow. Did you know?" Ser Duncan: "Milly Snow, daughter of Bittersteel?" Aegon: "Yes. After she left, Valarr did not talk of her to anyone, except to me. He wanted to renounce his titles to marry her, but his father forbid. How the times have turned. At times I wonder whether Milly and Valarr’s fate would be the same if he was granted permission." Then after a pause… Aegon: "Tell me Ser, what will my son think of me, what will become of him if I do the same thing as Prince Baelor?" Ser Duncan did not know the answer, and would not give an answer. - Tales of Dunk and Egg” Jaime: "Women can’t be knights. It’s unnatural for a woman to wield a sword. Name me one who did such and I will shut up." Brienne: "Malery Snow, the Sword of Sorrow." Jaime: "She was not a knight, she was a sellsword. And she was much fairer too, I might add." - A Storm of Swords” “Harry Strickland’s mind wandered to the time when he was only a homeless-boy-become-sellsword among others in the band of exiled sworn brothers. He heard they once had a woman among their ranks. Malery Snow. Malery the Cursed. Bittersteel’s spawn. Part of her foretold had come true, as they saw Maelys Blackfyre perish in the War of the Ninepenny Kings. “This boy that Griff called Aegon, son of Rhaegar, could he be the bringer of light that Malery mentioned?”, Harry mused. Whoever he was, he could be the one who brings the exiled brothers home. - A Dance with Dragons” “As Daenarys lit fire to the pyre under Ser Jorah’s body, she pondered whether her life was cursed like Milly Snow, since everyone she ever loved had died. “But she was born of bastard fire, and I am the prince that was promised”, Daenarys thought - The Winds of Winter”